When Iamblicus and Julian, returning from their walk, were crossing
Panormos, the crowded harbour-quarter of Ephesus, they noticed an
unusual tumult; folk running hither and thither, waving torches and
shouting--
"The Christians are destroying the temples! Woe be on us!" and others:
"Death to the Olympian gods! Astarte is vanquished by Christ!"
Iamblicus attempted a detour through less frequented streets, but the
howling mob caught and swept them in its course towards the temple of
the Ephesian Artemis. The superb temple, built by Dynocrates, stood
out sharply, dark and austere, against the starry sky. The gleam of
the torches flickered up gigantic colonnades, pedestalled on beautiful
little groups of caryatids. Up to this period, not only the Romans,
but all tribes in the country had adored this goddess. Someone in the
crowd cried out in a quavering voice--
"Hail to the divine Diana of the Ephesians!"